A Lot of Clean Metal

Uncle Den–Den's friends show up to
show off a Citroën DS.

The 29th Rétromobile, 2OO4

Paris:– Friday, 13. February:– The
first stand inside the doors of Rétromobile is
always occupied by BMW. This year there is a very tasteful
yellow and black four–seat roadster that the camera
captures as a blur, twice. I think it is a model from the
early '30s, but I fail to note the details.

If you have no need of spare parts and do not want to
buy a scale model of your dream car, and you do not want a
motoring costume, or a speedy
wristwatch or an enamel gasoline sign, and you are not in
the market for a mint–looking 44 year–old
Ferrari 250GT, then you might be concerned about blurry
photographs.

Each stand at Rétromobile uses the lights it has
rather than the overhead lights provided by
Paris–Expo. Some lights are bright – some are
too bright – and in some places there is very little
light. There are treasures in the dark, but you will not
capture them without a flash. And a flash will not work
well either.

French oddness – headlights behind
the grille of this Peugeot 402.

This is a show with a lot of shiney metal, and since
there are a lot of old cars being shiney, they are
liberally laden with chrome headlights, radiators, hubcaps
and windshield trim. It looks like old–fashioned neon
in black and white – it glitters, it shines. Chrome
is rare in our austere lives and times, and it is not as if
it is as expensive as silver.

This year's Rétromobile has the theme,
'L'aventure et du voyage.' This means there are a number of
displays of vehicles that have made some long trips.
Depending on when and where, few of these displays have
much chrome.

A couple of weeks ago Arte–TV ran a documentary
about André Citroën's ideas about promoting his
products. Citroën had the notion that potential buyers
would be impressed if he sent his vehicles to the ends of
the earth – and showed everybody how in weekly
newsreels that used to be shown in cinemas.

There were three of these excursions in all. The first,
in 1922 and 1923, sent a small armada of half–tracks
made by Citroën, across the Sahara. I guess the idea
was that some roads in France were just as impassable, but
I'm not aware that the half–tracks were offered for
sale in France.

Citroën also made sure that along for the ride,
besides drivers and mechanics, there were also engineers,
army officers, geologists and doctors, as well as sound and
movie cameramen. And cooks, of course.

Citroën handled all of the considerable logistics.
He had reserves of fuel pre–placed, plus spare parts
and medecines and, again of course,
lots of food and movie film. He was more organized than
Napoléon. For one thing, he brought his crews back
to France again.

One of Citroën's famous
half–tracks.

The two other trips involved sending expeditions across
Africa from top to bottom, from the Mediterranean to
Capetown. This was in 1924 and 1925, when there weren't
many autoroutes in Africa. The most ambitious trip was
undertaken in 1931 and 1932, and it went from Europe to
China.

At the time there wasn't any easy way to do this. For
some stages, the half–tracks had to be taken apart in
order to cross rivers. Some of the film from this trip
contains hair–raising scenes of half–tracks
almost falling off Marco Polo camel paths on the sides of
very big mountains.

So then, 60 years later at this year's
Rétromobile, for the very first time, there are
examples of the original vehicles – set up in a
camp–like tableau, with many of the original
accessories. There are also TV screens around, showing the
films of the expeditions.

In addition to the salon's theme, I also try to think of
one. This year it isn't working, so I just wander around,
crisscrossing the stands in the 20,000 square–metre
hall. I would really like to see the King of Spain's
four–door Maserati again, but really beautiful cars
usually only show up once here – before being snapped
up by shy collectors.

Then there are the salon's Citroën 2CVs. None of
this year's crop are ordinary – they are here this
year because they've all made long or difficult trips too.
For example, there's the one from the 'Raid Afrique 1973.'
Elsewhere, there's a spotless four–wheel drive
African model. 'Four–wheel' drive worked on account
of motors in the front and the rear.

One item I overlook, is Eleanor and Ben Carlin's
'Half–Safe.' This was a US Army Jeep turned into an
amphibian, that the couple used for crossing the Atlantic
in 1946. For spare fuel, they towed along a used WWII
fighter plane drop–tank. The crossing just to the
Azores took 32 days. Somewhat later they arrived in Paris
and moored near the Arc de Triomphe.

Afterwards they rebuilt their Jeep–boat and took
it on trip across Turkey to India, then through Indochina,
and finally took to the sea again in Japan and set sail for the
Aleutians. They arrived in Canada on Wednesday, 12. March
1958, after 18,000 kilometres of sea and 62,000 kilometres
on land.

This year's salon celebrates other birthdays – a
50 year–old Alfa Romeo Sportiva Coupé, one of
two. There are 70 years' worth of Peugeots, some
remarkable. There's a red 40 year–old Shelby Mustang
that starred in the 'Gendarme de St–Tropez.' It is
'for sale' at a high price.

There is also the 100th birthday for Hotchkiss, with a
1904 Type 'C' model – 'Made in Paris.' Plus there is
50 years for Facel Vega and another 50th for the Mercedes
300SL gull–wing, with the body by Uhlenhaut –
which debuted in New York in 1954. The beauty on display is
a 1955 version, and is the salon's best–looking
car.

In the Paris region of Argenteuil, Mercedes now has a
special garage entirely devoted to the restoration of its
older models. It must be a sign of changing times, because
new cars are usually recycled rather than fixed.

I come across a Rolls–Royce that has a sign on it
stating that it is the salon's most – something?
– old, mint, extravagant, glossiest? – which is
representing the company's 100th birthday.

The car is a Phantom 1, which was a gift made in 1927
from the husband of the lady who inherited Woolworth's,
to herself. It's interior is done up in Louis XIV
style, as a sort of inspiration from
Marie–Antoinette's sedan–chair. Even if it is a
Roller, it's plain to see that some superrich people had
dubious taste.

In passing I note a Renault 'Reinastella' RM2 from the
'30s. This bread–and–butter car maker turned a
hand to a big limo and the result is impressive, enough to
equal competitors' of the time. No Renault badge though
– just a discrete star on the radiator's
nose.

Step into this 1955 Mercedes 300SL and feel
very rich.

The displays by car clubs are getting fewer as the years
go by. The clubs themselves aren't disappearing –
their lack must be partly due to the salon's affiliation
with Christie's – which will be holding an auction
tomorrow.

Their star offer is a 1935 Bugatti T55. It is supposed
to represent Bugatti's best and this one runs too. It is
supposed to very rare, and is expected to fetch up to two
million euros. But it is used, with a recorded history of
eight French owners and one from Japan.

A possible bargain, in contrast, is a 1965 Silver Cloud
III Roller coupé, once owned by Brigitte Bardot. If
you are at tomorrow's auction you might drive this one off
for a mere 70,000€.

So much for high–priced dreams. Out of nowhere,
standing by itself, is a 1939 Nash Ambassador convertible.
It is middle–blue and spotless and it looks like it
has never seen a rainy day. Well, its interior might have
been updated a bit, but only enough so that it seems to be
new. It has a straight–eight motor with 115 hp, and a
three–speed gearbox, with overdrive.

There is a lot to see, yet it seems as if there is less
than there was a few years ago. The scale–model car
stands are increasing, or getting bigger. At one of these I
can buy the car I had when I came to Paris – an
orange Audi 100S coupé. It's only 35€ but this
is five euros more than last year.

There seem to be more auto–art stands. None of
them seem to have cartoons though – they might be
missing a good bet with the 2CV fans – but they are
probably impoverished.

More in evidence are stands with 'driving' clothes.
These have WWI fighter pilot caps, goggles, gloves, and the
correct type of trench coat
– so practical for wearing in tropical rainstorms
while repairing flat tires. There are watches too, and even
Mercedes has its boutique – with most items in gray
and black, easy on the chrome.

Scene–stealer
– a 1939 Nash Ambassador.

Finally, there are the parts stands. These are besieged
by the impoverished 2CV owners, looking for something rare
and vital for their dream machines. There are also ersatz
parts stands, selling steering wheels, and the
brand–new enamel signs of yesteryear. There are even
a few '40s–model jukebox replicas around.

My tour this year has taken about three hours, without
looking at very much closely for long. The camera's score
is about 60, so I wearily plod off to my transportation
– the good old Métro.

Rétromobile – Paris' annual very old
used car show, featuring oldie cars, trucks, some
motorcycles and maybe a few boats, some newer than new.
This year's edition keeps on rolling along until Sunday,
22. February. From 10:00 to 19:00, and until 22:00 on
Tuesday and Friday. In Hall 2/1, at Paris–Expo, Porte
de Versailles, Paris 15. Métro: Porte de Versailles.
InfoTel.: 01 49 53 27 00.